Sloppy Joes for a cool and rainy summer day

This recipe for the American hot sandwich could be handy to have around this season when you were planning on grilling meat balls outdoors but it rains or turns cold.

Out can come the heavy frying pan and, after mere minutes at the stove, you can feed the group this easy-going basic. The recipe is from Cooking for Comfort by my friend Marian Burros (Simon & Schuster, 2003, $38). I was happy to be part of a considerable amount of the testing of old family recipes that this talented U.S. food writer insisted upon while writing this book at a favourite house in Vermont. Marian chose more than 100 comfortable recipes for this book. She notes that the mixture can wait a day in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped celery

1/2 large green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

11/2 pounds (750 g) ground beef

1 cup (250 mL) beer

1/4 cup (50 mL) Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup (125 mL) ketchup

2 teaspoons (10 mL) Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons (20 mL) white vinegar

1/4 to 1 teaspoon (1 to 5 mL) liquid red pepper seasoning

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toasted rolls or buns

Heat oil in large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat and cook onion for about three minutes. Add celery and green pepper and continue cooking until the vegetables are soft and beginning to change colour. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Push vegetables to one side of the pan, or remove to a plate, and cook beef, breaking it up with a fork and cooking until no pink remains. Add beer, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and liquid red pepper seasoning. Stir in meat, lower heat and simmer a few minutes to blend flavours. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on hot toasted rolls.

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